1. I AM REALLY FORGETFUL.

Let me just tell you, that I forget at least one thing every time I try to cook or bake something in the lounge. Sometimes I have to make multiple trips back and forth to my room and back because I have forgotten so many things.

2. Pots are also bowls.

I use my pasta pot for everything, including mixing cookie batter. I end up cleaning the pot three or four times by the end of the night. I also use one of my mugs for anything microwavable and even my roommate knows that — that mug is not for drinks.

3. Cooking is expensive.

Quick shoutout to my mom for grocery shopping for the whole family every week and planning meals (that half the time I did not want to eat and I complained about because I am a super picky eater). I am spending $50-$60 a week on food and it is not fun. It does not help that the only close grocery store is Whole Foods, and everything else is a subway away.

4. Some people do NOT know how to cook.

My roommate and I will be making a super simple meat sauce and pasta and we will have girls in and out of the lounge who are amazed by our cooking skills even though we are making the easiest dish. We do have one girl that is awesome on our floor though with her slow cooker (I am super jealous of her and do bond with her over cooking). Every time I hear a fire drill, my first thought is if someone burned something in their kitchen.

5. Simple is better.

Yes, at home I like to cook/bake, or help my mom cook/bake super complicated and delicious things, but that is just not a possibility here. Pasta, frozen dumplings that I pan fry and homemade chocolate chip cookies are my go to things here. I want to explore more things, but with a lack of time, supplies, and space it gets difficult.

6. Frozen=YASSS

When I have had a busy day or have had math till 5 p.m., throwing in chicken fingers or a frozen pizza into the oven is a god sent and I will always appreciate it...even though our lounge's oven takes forever to heat up. I especially love the frozen chicken dumplings that I can easily pan fry (those are my favorite things on earth and I eat them way too often).

7. Make more than you can eat.

Speaking of busy days, it is even easier to just reheat something that you made the night before like the meat sauce or chicken marsala (both things my roomie and I have made this year). I suggest making enough to have leftovers!

8. Dining Halls are gross.

My roommate and I have not been to TDR (our school’s dining hall) since the first week of school, and we do not plan on ever going back (especially after the mold sightings). If you are a picky eater or love to cook, I suggest getting the smallest meal plan and using that saved money for groceries.

9. HAVE FUN

Cooking in college relieves my stress and keeps me busy so I forget about my stressful week and the fact that I am living in a dorm and cooking in a lounge instead of home in my huge kitchen!

10. Roommates make the best sous-chefs.

I love cooking, but I know I would not cook nearly as much if my roomie was not up for it also. She’s craving cookies...uh oh better get out the flour and chocolate chips (She shapes the cookies for me because I hate that part... and I eat most of the raw dough so it's a win-win).